In My Daughter's Eyes
by bosswoman88
Summary: Maddie faces the real world on her own, how will her decisions affect the rest of her family? Rayna reflects on all the experiences she went through as a young artist.
1. Chapter 1

**This is starting off very loosely spoiler-based according to the rest of the season. I'm not really sure where my version will end up, but I am so disappointed how they have chosen to destroy the relationship between Maddie and Deacon instead of using Maddie's situation to more deeply shadow what Rayna's early years in the music industry must have been like. This is basically my version of how I think it should have gone….**

 _ **Rayna, 1989**_

 _There was a time in a person's life when they had to say enough was enough._

 _And Rayna Wyatt had had enough._

 _She stood at the end of the driveway, looking impatiently down the street, watching for a familiar red truck. Next to her on the ground, two bags and a guitar case. It wasn't much, but right now it was all she needed. Behind her in the shadows the Belle Meade mansion where she'd spent the first 16 years of her life rose up larger than life._

 _She wished he would hurry up._

 _It wasn't supposed to be this way. She had no idea how on earth Lamar had found out she'd been secretly playing open mic nights around town, but her father had laid down the law tonight and declared in no uncertain terms that her music days were over. He was sending her to a private girls' school in New York until graduation. When she'd found the courage to stand up for herself and tell him in no certain qualms she would not be going to New York, he'd told her to get out of his house._

 _So she had packed her bags, and walked past her father out the open door. Walked away from everything she knew. Walked away from everything that was holding her back._

 _To be honest, it felt like she'd just walked out of prison, a mixed feeling of being scared to death and relieved that she was finally free. And she had no idea what was supposed to happen next._

 _Finally, the truck rolled to a stop in front of her._

 _She sighed with relief. Deacon._

 _Watty White was the one who had initially suggested Deacon Claybourne for her guitar player. She didn't know how she would have gotten through the last months without him. She hadn't expected to find that making music with him was easy as breathing._

 _Then again, she hadn't expected to fall in love with him the second she laid eyes on him either. Deacon saved her. He challenged her. He brought the music out of her in ways she hadn't even known were possible._

 _"Hey," he got out and came over to her. "What's all this?" He gestured towards her bags as he picked them up and put them in the back of his truck._

 _Rayna bit her lip. "Can we just drive? I don't want to be late for the show."_

 _He raised his eyebrows. "I guess, yeah."_

 _They were halfway to the bar where the open mic was being held, before Deacon pulled over the truck and turned to her._

 _"Alright, what's going on?"_

 _She stuck her chin out. "Lamar threw me out of the house."_

 _He stared at her. "What?"_

 _"Yep. Said it was either my family or the music. Said he thinks you've been a bad influence on me, and I need to get away from all of it. He wants to send me away."_

 _"And what did you say?"_

 _Rayna's eyes met his. "Well I'm here with you, aren't I?"_

 _He got quiet for a minute, absorbing all this. "Yeah," he said, putting the truck back into gear, trying to hide the smile playing around the edges of his mouth. "Yeah I guess you are."_

 **Maddie 2016**

Maddie Conrad had had enough. Enough of people telling her she was too young, and not ready, enough of people holding her back.

The conversation with Cash earlier that afternoon was still fresh in her mind, and thinking about it just made her resolve stronger.

She stalked through the front door with a determined look on her face.

"What's your problem now," Daphne muttered. She was sitting at the kitchen counter doing her homework, and barely looked up when Maddie dropped her guitar case on the tile floor with a clatter.

"Where's mom and dad?"

"In the music room."

Maddie turned for the hallway that lead down to her parents' home studio.

"You know," Daphne said from behind her. "We were supposed to record for the E.P yesterday with Mom at Highway 65."

For a second, Maddie felt the slightest bit of guilt. "I guess I forgot. We can do it another time."

"I'm sure," Daphne scoffed.

"Listen," Maddie turned back slowly. "I know you don't get it, but…."

"I _don't_ get it!" Daphne cried. "We used to do everything together, and now you spend all your time with Cash and it's like I don't even exist."

"That's because I'm not twelve years old," Maddie exclaimed, her voice rising. "Maybe I just want to do bigger things than recording some stupid cd full of cheesy kids songs about clouds and rainbows."

"Hey, what is going on out here?" Rayna came down the hallway from the music room, having heard the racket. Deacon was right behind her. She glanced from one girl to the other. Daphne was crying now, with tears running down her face.

"I hate you, I wish you weren't even my sister," Daphne whispered.

It hurt Maddie hearing that, watching as Daphne turned and ran for the stairs. She knew her sister was right. But Daphne had to see her side too. Hopefully one day she would.

"What was that all about?" Deacon and Rayna both waited, arms crossed, expecting an explanation.

Maddie stuck her chin out. "I've decided I'm moving out. Cash will be back to pick me up in an hour."

"Like hell you are!" Deacon said vehemently.

"You certainly are not," Rayna said firmly. "Maddie I know you're a little out of sorts right now, and struggling to find your place with your music, but like it or not you are still a kid, and-."

"I filed papers today at the courthouse to be emancipated," Maddie said, trying to keep her mouth from quivering. "Cash helped me."

"Why on earth would she do that?" Rayna tried to calm the panic that squeezed her heart at those words. Next to her, she could see Deacon was ready to absolutely lose it, pacing with his hands in his hair. _Do something,_ his eyes told her.

"Because she knows you turned down a deal from Sony, Mom. You turned down _my_ record deal without even telling me," Maddie said quietly. It had absolutely broken her to find out they'd kept that secret. It was her future, her dreams on the line. And she'd had no say in it at all.

Rayna's face changed.

"Why that little narcissistic…."

"You were sixteen when you went out on your own," Maddie said quietly, pleading her to understand. "You know how it feels Mom, you know how bad I want to be on that stage. I know you love me. I know you think you're doing the best thing, but you're holding me back. I'm ready."

Their eyes met, and Rayna saw so much of herself in Maddie that it hurt. That desperation to want to chase your dreams, the feeling that someone was keeping you from them.

"You know we don't want to keep you from your dreams," Rayna said with a hitch in her voice. "We just want to protect you."

"Now hold on just a damn minute. You're not going anywhere," Deacon cut in. "We made that deal with your moms label for you for a reason, and-."

Rayna put a hand on his arm. "Stop," she murmured, her voice catching.

"What?" he looked at her like she was crazy. "We're not really going to let this happen, are we?"

A look of understand passed between her and Maddie.

Maddie swallowed hard. "I need to pack some stuff."

She headed for the stairs.

Deacon turned to Rayna, furious. "You're just going to let her leave? You know she'll never make it on her own, Ray. She's just a kid."

Rayna sat down on the bench in the hallway, feeling pale.

"I did," she said softly.

"What?"

"I made it," she repeated. "And so did you. And I wasn't any older," she said, tears burning the corners of her eyes. "If we don't let her do this, she's going to hate us forever."

"She'll get over it," he insisted. "It's not the same as it was when we were that age. It's so much harder to get anywhere. The industry will eat her alive. She'll never make it."

Rayna shook her head slowly. "She won't get over it, Deacon, and you know it. Did I get over it? Lamar forced me to choose between music or my family, and I never really forgave him for that. I don't want to force her to choose. She's making this choice on her own and maybe… well maybe that's the way it should be."

He looked so defeated. "It will change her," his voice caught. "You know it will, Ray."

"I know." She slipped her arms around his waist and laid her head across his shoulder. "But what else can we do? Lock her in her room? That won't work and you know it."

"I just don't want to lose her."

It was the longest hour of Rayna's life, sitting in the front room. She kept looking at the clock, watching the minutes tick away. It reminded her of the night Maddie was born, pacing through every painful contraction, counting the minutes on the clock. Deacon was pacing back and forth, running his hands through his hair. Neither of them spoke. She could tell he wanted to say so many things, and it was harder than hell not to protest this whole ordeal.

The night her father had kicked her out of the house kept replaying through her mind like a broken record.

Finally Deacon sunk down next to her on the couch, and took his hands in hers. "Baby, do you really think this is the right thing?"

"I don't know," she confessed. "But all we can do is let her know we're here if she needs us, right?"

Over his shoulder, Rayna could see Cash's bright red mustang pull to a stop in front of the house, and what was left of her heart dropped.

Maddie came down the stairs a few minutes later with a couple suitcases and a guitar.

She stood tall as she slung a bag over her shoulder. "I'm gonna go now," she said quietly. "There will be some paperwork sent over. I'm still figuring it all out but… I'd appreciate it if you don't fight me on it."

Rayna had never been so proud and so heartbroken at the same time. She had always tried to raise her daughters to be strong and independent, and that's exactly the kind of young woman Maddie was.

"Maddie, we can help you," she tried one last time. "We can change the Highway 65 contract if you want. Or Sony. If you really want Sony, let me deal with them."

Maddie shook her head. "I need to do this on my own, Mom. I have to."

She hugged Deacon, but he stood stiff shouldered at first until he finally hugged her back.

"I love you, Dad." She whispered.

"Love you too. You know you can…come home anytime. Or call if you need anything," he said with a ragged sigh. Every word hurt.

Maddie swallowed hard and nodded.

Rayna could see how much Deacon was hurting. He hadn't gotten enough time to have her as his little girl, and now she was determined to go off and grow up forever.

"Are you going to say goodbye to Daphne?"

Maddie's eyes shadowed for a moment and she glanced towards the stairs. "She's pretty mad at me right now. I'll talk to her soon."

"Don't wait too long," Rayna said softly. "Sisters are forever. "

Maddie nodded. Then she glanced at both of them once more, then turned around, gathered her stuff and walked out the door.

Only after that red car pulled away from the curb did Rayna let herself fall into Deacon's arms and cry.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rayna, 1989**

 _Rayna tossed and turned among the blankets._

 _Next to her, Deacon barely moved, despite her thrashing about._

 _After the show at the Wheelhouse tonight, he'd brought her back to his little apartment. Carried her stuff in. Shoved some stuff off a shelf in the little closet to make room for hers. Just like that. No questions, no discussion._

 _"You think I did the right thing by leaving?" She whispered now, lying on her back staring at the chipped paint and water stains on the ceiling. "He's still my father."_

 _Deacon blinked sleepy eyelids and rolled towards her, draping an arm across her hip._

 _In the darkness, she felt her face warm a little at the contact. Because of course this was all different now. They'd had sex before lots of times. But it was usually in some storage closet or the back of his truck by the river, wherever they could steal some time alone without Watty hovering over her or the threat of Lamar showing his face any second. She'd never been in his bed before. Actually, she'd never been in any guy's bed before._

 _But something about him made her want to grow up in a hurry._

 _"You did what you had to do, baby," he said softly, leaning up over her on one elbow. "I'm proud of you."_

 _"Really?" She looked up at him with doubtful eyes._

 _"Hell yes. You stood up for yourself. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't chase your dreams."_

 _She leaned up and pressed her mouth to his. "I love you, Deacon."_

 _"Baby, I love you too. You and me, we're gonna make it. One way or another…."_

 _############################_

 _Maddie 2016_

"So you can have this room," Cash gestured. "It's my brother's, but he's mostly on the road so we don't see him much."

"You have a brother?" Maddie dropped her backpack on the bed, and set her guitar case more carefully down next to it. She gazed around the room. It was plastered with faded posters of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and all the greats. "Nice décor. Is he a musician?"

"Something like that." Cash laughed. "Him and my dad…well, they don't get along," her smile faded a little. "He hasn't been here since he was a teenager. Anyway, you can use his room for now."

"Thanks. So…are you sure your dad's going to be okay with this?" Maddie asked hesitantly. "And he's not going to be all like… reporting back to my dad what I'm up to, is he?"

"Nah, he's cool. He's not around much. And pretty soon you'll be so busy, we'll hardly even be here anyway."

"Right," Maddie nodded.

"So…get your stuff settled and meet me downstairs in awhile," Cash said, flashing her a bright smile. "I have a co-write tonight with Kacey and a few other people. They can't wait to meet you."

" _The_ Kacey?"

"Yep. You're gonna love it." And with that, Cash turned to go.

"Hey Cash?" Maddie called uncertainly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I…did the right thing?"

Cash got quiet for a second. "Do _you_ think you did the right thing?"

"I think so," she admitted. "It just doesn't feel right yet."

Cash pointed at the guitar on the bed. "Write about it. It will."

##################################

 **Two weeks later….**

Maddie stood on the back deck of the house her and Cash were staying at now, staring up at the sky. It was a clear night and if there wasn't so many trees in the way, you'd be able to see a million stars. You pretty much couldn't see the stars anywhere in L.A.

She thought about her bedroom windowseat at home, how many nights she'd sat there writing songs and staring at the stars for inspiration.

She missed it so bad it hurt. She missed her friends. Her sister. Her mom and dad.

This is what she wanted. To be free. To do whatever she pleased. To chase her own dreams.

She just didn't expect to miss that windowseat so bad.

The last two weeks had been more crazy than anything she'd ever experienced. It was like living in a dream, in some ways. She kept waiting to wake up _. Is this real? This is too easy._ Being a high school student was a distant memory. Instead she was spending her days co-writing with some of the best songwriters in Nashville, hanging out with Cash's group of friends, playing open mic nights, and living day by day. It was exciting, a little scary, and more thrilling than she had imagined. She finally was starting to feel like a real musician.

Cash knew everyone. Just a few weeks before they'd been making dinner together when three members of the band Lost Canyon Road had walked into Frankie's kitchen. _Oh did I forget to mention that I invited Joe and the guys for dinner?_ _They just got back into town this afternoon._

Yes, Cash had definitely forgotten to mention that.

Maddie had been around famous people her whole life because of her mom, it shouldn't be so weird, but it was definitely taking some getting used to. This wasn't backstage at concerts. It was three guys with the current number one single in the country standing in the kitchen.

And by the next afternoon, they'd been on Joe Marchette's private plane to L.A.

The trip to L.A. had thrown a minor wrench in her plans to find a day job and talk her way back into Sony to see about that record deal her mom had turned down. It seemed like the right place to start.

 _Come on, it'll be fun,_ Cash had convince her. _Just for a few weeks, maybe longer if I get some good co-writes. Nashville isn't the only place in the world to make music, you know. You can worry about all that other stuff when we get back._

 _It'll be fun._ Those words rang in her head right now, and she almost laughed.

Behind her, there was a crash and a yell inside the house, the sound of breaking glass. She winced. She wasn't really sure _who_ actually lived in the house, there was so many people going in and out all the time. Cash said it was her brother's, but she'd actually never seen the guy. This house was never empty, and never quiet. They drank and played all hours of the night. In a way, it was exciting. " _This is the life of musicians, honey, get used to it_ , Cash kept telling her. _You play when the music hits you."_

She heard the patio door open behind her.

"Hey, there you are," Cash grabbed her by the hand. "I want you to meet my brother."

"You're brother? He's here?"

"Sure he is," she dragged Maddie into the living room.

When he turned around, Maddie was sure her jaw almost hit the floor as she shot Cash a look. _Your brother is Landon Hayes?_

Cash laughed. "Maddie, meet my little brother."

"You think so," Landon yanked at the back of her hair. "Age is just a number.  
I'm still taller than you."

Landon Hayes. Maddie's mind was swirling. Landon was a huge up and coming artist. He'd come out of Austin and nobody seemed to know much about him except he'd blown onto the country scene a few years ago with a couple number one hits, and then faded into the background again. His name was all over Nashville though. As a songwriter. One of the most sought after right now.

Too bad nobody ever seemed to be able to find him.

"I slept in your bed," Maddie blurted out without thinking.

He raised his eyebrows and ran a hand through his blond hair. "Uh…."

Cash laughed out loud. "Well I'll just leave you two to get acquainted while I find another beer."

Maddie winced. "God I am such an idiot. I mean….what I meant to say is, I've been staying at Frankie's house with Cash. And she gave me your room."

"Don't worry about it," he gave her an easy smile. "I haven't used it in years."

Right. My god, she'd been thinking this little brother was a 12 year old, and here it was literally one of her current musical idols, and she was borrowing his childhood bedroom. The irony of it all was not lost on her.

 _How did this become my life?_ She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"What'd you say your name was?"

"Maddie Claybourne," she said without thinking. "Um…. Maddie Rae. Just Maddie Rae now."

Landon's smile faded a little. "You're Deacon's daughter? Isn't your mama Rayna Jaymes?"

"Um….yep." Maddie said, suddenly uncomfortable at the way his inquiring gaze was searching her face for answers she knew she was not going to want to give. "See ya around, Landon. Thanks for letting me borrow your room."

She could feel his eyes on her as she walked away quickly. Someone pressed a red solo cup into her hand, and pulled her towards the open door to the backyard, where they were lighting up a campfire, searching for lawn chairs, and bringing out guitars.

She forgot about Landon Hayes for the moment. Forgot about missing her windowseat, and her sister. If this was the life of artists, she better damn well figure out how to fit into it….

But apparently Landon hadn't forgotten about her.

Maddie stumbled into the house a few hours later, happy and buzzed from a music high and maybe a few too many beers, and almost walked right into Cash and her brother arguing in the living room. Most of the other people at the party had either left by now, or found a place to pass out. That was exactly what she needed. Somewhere to sleep.

 _"Dammit, Cash, what are you doing with that girl? Take her home where she belongs."_

 _"Oh Lan, just calm yourself down and have another beer. She's fine."_

 _"She's not fine, Cash, and you know it. She's not ready for any of this. She's too young, and way too damn innocent. You're going to burn her out before she even gets started. She's not like us."_

Maddie's face flamed with embarrassment as she stumbled down the hall to the bathroom. She sat on the edge of the tub as the world spun around her, and hot angry tears fell down her face. "Not like them"? she wondered. What did that mean? Because she was raised a spoiled little princess in castle? Colt had said the same thing to her once, and she'd never really gotten over the sting of those words. But Colt was long gone now. Off to shovel horse poop on the farm or be a soldier or whatever he was doing this week.

And who were any of them to say she didn't have what it took to make it anyway.

To hell with them all.

She stayed in the bathroom so long that someone finally knocked. "Come on, I gotta pee!"

She opened the door, and one of Cash's friends pushed past her, not even bothering to wait for her to leave the bathroom before he relieved himself.

She laughed, because in a way it was funny, but in a way it was so sad, all of this. She laughed until the tears started falling again as she stumbled out of the bathroom.

"Hey, whatsamatter baby?" The guy said as he came out of the bathroom behind her. "I can make you feel better."

"Can you?" She swiped at the tears, angry at herself for being such a baby.

He gave her a lopsided grin. "You just show me which room is yours."

Maddie opened the door to the first room on the left. It's empty, except for a bed and a nightstand. There was no Hank Williams posters on the wall. _Well at least it's not his bed this time_ , she thinks with a smirk. _Jerk._ She'd already decided she hated Landon Hayes with the fire of a thousand suns. Scrap him from the "artists I want to write with" bucket list. As soon as she was not drunk, she was erasing all his songs from her playlist too.

"This one will do." she said, her words still a slurred as the guy made short work of putting his hands all over her and laying her backwards on the bed.

"What'd you say your name was, baby?"

 _It doesn't matter anyway_ , she thinks as she closes her eyes and he kisses her neck. _Nobody remembers your name when you fail…._

 _#################################_

Maddie is awoken the next morning by the incessant beeping of her cellphone next to her pounding head. And there is a guy whose name she can't remember snoring in the bed next to her. A guy without a stitch of clothing. She is silently embarrassed, horrified. Does this count as cheating on Colt? She doesn't even know what they are anymore, except Colt went off and decided to go to military school without telling her. Everyone was always leaving.

There was a text from Cash on her phone. _I have a chance to do some writing with Skylar Gray. She's taking me on the road for a week. Have fun!_

Maddie stumbled around as quietly as she could trying to find her clothing, and then crept out of the room. People were passed out in the living room. The house was completely trashed. And sure enough, Cash was nowhere in sight.

 _I can't believe she just left me here. Some friend._

She sat on the back step of that house and cried. Just let the tears roll down her face. She was mad at herself. Mad at Cash. Just mad at the world from crashing down around her so hard and fast.

With a shuddering sigh, she stared at the cell phone in her hand, tracing the numbers over and over.

She knew if she punched in her dad's name, they would have had her on a plane home within the hour. She could do it. Call her parents. Have them come to her rescue. Go home and go back to recording kid songs with Daphne on Highway 65.

But she knew she wouldn't be happy either.

A deliberate cough sounded behind her.

She quickly swiped at her tears and hid her face. "Can you just leave me alone? Sorry."

Landon settled on the top step next to her anyway.

She could hardly look at him, just stared out over the backyard. "I don't need a lecture from someone who doesn't know me, thanks."

He had two cups of coffee in his hand and handed her one. "No lecture. Just coffee. It will help the hangover."

"You found coffee in that mess?" she said wryly.

"Yeah well, it is technically my house," he smirked.

Maddie managed a small smile.

"Guess you don't drink much, huh?"

"I try not to. My dad's an alcoholic," she said quietly. "I know how fast it can turn into a problem."

He got quiet for a minute, absorbing this. "Well I guess we have that in common."

Of course, she realized. He was Frankie's son.

Maybe he did get it after all.

"Where's my sister this morning? Still sleeping it off?"

Maddie shook her head slowly. "Looks like she's back on the road."

His smirk faded. "What?"

With a sigh, Maddie handed over the phone and showed him the message.

He read it and shook his head. _Goddammit Cash._

"It's no big deal. She said she'll be back in a week. I'll…manage."

Landon shook his head. "Skylar's tour is headed for Europe for the next month. She won't be back for awhile."

Maddie's face paled. "What?"

"That's one thing about the people in my family, Maddie. You'll find out in a hurry they ain't dependable and they're good at leavin."

Maddie didn't say anything. She'd never felt so lost.

"What are you gonna do now?"

"I'm not sure," she closed her eyes and leaned against the post.

"Come on," he said with a sigh. "Grab your stuff. I'll take you home."

"You don't understand," she said, her voice shaking. "I don't have anywhere to go."

"I meant Nashville." He corrected. "I'll take you back to Nashville."

She stared at him. "What? You can't. That's…. I mean. That's all the way across the country."

"I know. So we better hit the road."

"Why would you do that?" She blurted out. "Because you think I'm just a kid who won't make it?"

"No," he said slowly, his eyes meeting hers. "Because I think you're an artist who will. But not here. L.A. isn't your scene. You can take the girl out of the Nash but you can't take the Nash out of the girl. What did you say you're calling yourself now?"

He had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. And for a moment she forgot to breathe.

"Maddie Rae."

"Okay then. Get your stuff, Maddie Rae," he repeated again, softer, reaching out to brush the last of the tears from her cheeks. "I'm taking you home."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Deacon, 1990**_

 _He woke up_ _with a crick in his neck that hurt almost as bad as the pounding in his head._

 _It was dark. Rayna was driving._

 _And she was pissed._

 _"Where we at?" He mumbled._

 _"Somewhere in Texas," she gritted her teeth with each word._

 _"You mad?" he said tentatively, reaching out and putting a hand on her thigh._

 _"That is the stupidest question I have heard," Rayna said calmly. "And if you want to keep playing guitar with those fingers you best get them off of my leg right now."_

 _Right. He slowly pulled his hand back._

 _"Baby, I'm really sorry," he started tentatively._

 _"Deacon," she said quietly. "I missed a chance to open for Garth Brooks last night because you decided to get drunk, get on the wrong bus, and take yourself to Santa Fe. I spent the last 24 hours looking for you, wanting to kill you, hoping to god you weren't dead, and driving all over the damn country and back to find you. I do NOT want to talk to you right now."_

 _Fair enough._

 _After a few more hours of driving in miserable silence, she pulled into a cheap motel just outside of Dallas, and went in and paid for a room._

 _When she came back out, Deacon was still sitting in the truck._

 _Rayna waited impatiently with her arms crossed._

 _"Thought maybe I had to sleep out here," he said through the open window as he tried to lightened the mood. She just glared at him and stalked off towards room 104._

 _With a sigh, he climbed out of the truck, grabbed his guitar from the backseat, and went after her._

 _It was late, after midnight, and she laid down in the twin bed nearest to the wall with her back to him, right in the middle. Point taken. He could have the other._

 _"Baby, come on," he said softly, laying down next to her anyway. "I'm sorry. I messed up. Don't go to sleep mad at me."_

 _It took him a second to realize she was crying, big silent tears rolling down her face._

 _Those tears killed him._

 _Barely 17 years old and he'd put tears like that in her eyes because he couldn't handle his damn liquor one night in a row too many._

 _"You scared me," she whispered. "I need you to stop drinking so much. I can't be on that stage without you. I don't know how."_

 _He swallowed hard. "I'll do better," he swore, leaning forward and kissing her tears away. "And I'll make it up to you, that Garth Brooks show. I swear."_

 _Rayna didn't look too convinced._

 _"You have to admit, it's kinda funny though," he teased. "God, you shoulda seen my face when I looked out the bus window and saw cactuses instead of pine trees."_

 _She swatted at his shoulder. "Deacon Claybourne, what in god's name am I going to do with you?"_

 _"Write a song with me?"_

 _"It's late, and it's a long way back to Nashville tomorrow," she murmured. "I'm so tired."_

 _"I'll write one for you then."….._

 _ **################################**_

 _ **Landon, 2016**_

They'd been driving for hours.

Well, technically he had been driving. His passenger had said nothing and stared out the window until she finally gave in and closed her eyes somewhere around Tucson _ **.**_ It was clear she wasexhausted, and he wasn't surprised, given that Cash had probably been dragging her all over the country for who knows how loved his sister, but her judgement had a tendency to be questionable.

Everything about this situation was wrong. He didn't know what in god's name he'd been thinking, offering to drive this girl halfway across the damn country when he could have bought her a plane ticket home. Something about her made him simultaneously wanted to get as far away from her as possible, and lock her up in a room somewhere before the industry ate her alive.

Girls like Maddie Claybourne were dangerous in more ways than he wanted to think about. They made you care without even trying.

And then they made you write songs about them.

 _I should have just put her on a damn plane_ , he thought, cursing himself as he pulled into a truck stop.

"You want something to eat?" He asked, and he leaned over to poke her awake.

"I'm not hungry," she rubbed her eyes. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere in New Mexico. Gotta get gas."

He brought her a burger and a soda when he came back anyway, shaking the raindrops off the faded baseball cap he wore. "Don't be stubborn. You gotta eat, right?" he said as he shoved a paper takeout bag in her direction.

"Thanks," she said begrudgingly.

Maddie watched partly disgusted and partly impressed as he practically inhaled two burgers and a large container of fries before she'd gotten halfway through hers.

"Did you taste that at all?"

"Not much," he reached for her soda without even asking and took a big gulp. "So Sony offered you a record deal, huh?"

She stared at him. "Did Cash tell you that?"

"No. I googled you."

Maddie narrowed her eyes.

"I'm kidding. Cash told me."

"Yeah well, lot of good it does me," she muttered. "My mom turned it down." She shook her head. "That was my dream. And she shot it down without even asking me."

His eyes shadowed a little. "Maybe she just wants what's best for you. Moms do that, you know."

She thought she saw something there in his eyes for a second. Pain, maybe, but it quickly faded.

"She wants to keep me a little girl forever."

"How old are you anyway?" He asked finally.

"Old enough."

"For what, buying lottery tickets?" He raised his eyebrows,

Maddie felt her face redden a little.

"I'll be seventeen in a month," she said defensively. "How old are you?"

"Too old for you," he responded.

"23." She said with a smirk.

"Good guess. Or googling."

"Google doesn't give anything away about Landon Hayes except that you like to write number one songs and disappear."

"Good. I like it that way."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Guess I don't like answering to anybody much."

"People don't hide unless they have something to hide from. Or someone."

"Or maybe," he said, a crooked grin crossing his face, "they just don't want to be bothered when they're working on new music."

Maddie looked unconvinced.

"So tell me, Maddie Rae, since you're all about the tough questions...Why you want to do this on your own so bad?" Landon asked. "Your mom owns one of the biggest labels in the industry. Your dad is a freakin' _legend._ Why are you not taking their help?"

"Maybe I just want to do it my own way," Maddie said, sticking her chin out.

"There's doing it your own way," he agreed. "And there's doing it the dumb way. Which is not taking help when people offer it. Especially in the music industry. I mean…I get it. But it's still dumb."

Maddie gave a short laugh. "If my parents had their way I'd be 35 before they let me near a stage."

"So you're going to go back to Nashville, not go back home, and then what?" He challenged. "What's your plan?"

"I don't know yet," she said, getting defensive.

"I'd say you have about 18 hours of highway to figure it out."

She glared at him. "You know it was your brilliant idea to drive me back. If you changed your mind just say so. I wouldn't want to _inconvenience_ you."

"No inconvenience," he muttered as he started the truck again. "It's only 2000 miles and setting foot in a city I haven't seen in five years."

She gave him an odd look. "Five years? Your dad and sister live there. You never go back?"

"You know what," Landon said calmly. "I think this travel arrangement isn't such a good idea. We're gonna stop in Dallas and get you on a flight home."

"You know what," Maddie echoed, her temper flaring. "Don't even bother." She opened the truck door and climbed out. Stomped off in the pouring rain.

"What in the hell are you doing." He asked as he rolled down the window, driving next to her. "Get back in the truck. If your mama and daddy find out I left you in godforsaken nowhere New Mexico, my music career is over." He was only half kidding.

Maddie kept walked with her head up, even with the rain beating down on her like daggers.

"You know, if you don't want people to treat you like a little kid, you shouldn't act like one."

"You have no right to judge me, you have no idea what it's like!"

"I know what it's like to be living in a Nashville parking lot, sleeping in your car and working for tips because you're too damn stubborn to admit you're wrong," he said, his voice growing louder. "I know what it's like to be rejected on stuff you've put your heart and soul into. You think you're ready to handle that?"

"Leave me alone, Landon. Go back to California or Austin, or wherever you hide. I'll figure it out on my own."

He could see by the look on her face, she was about at her breaking point, nevermind the fact that she was absolutely soaked to the skin, her wet hair hanging around her face and thin tshirt and jeans she wore drenched through.

Landon threw the truck into park and swore out loud as he watched her disappear around the corner of the truck stop. Where the hell she thought she was going, he had no idea.

He sat there parked for five minutes, waiting to see if she came back. When she didn't, he reluctantly tossed his hat on the seat next to him and climbed out of the truck to look for her.

 _Damn this girl,_ he thought, as he found her sitting on a picnic table in the rain shivering, her arms across her chest. He sat down next to her.

"Go away," she muttered.

"I'd like to," he said calmly. "But I can't."

"Get back in the truck, Maddie," he said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Sitting out here getting wet ain't doing either of us any good."

Mistake on his part. As soon as he touched her, she started to cry. Big crocodile tears on her face, rain mixing with tears dripping off her chin. Completely lost.

He knew that feeling. He'd been there.

"Aw, come on now," he said, as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. They were both soaked now.

"You've only known me for a day and a half," she sniffled, echoing his earlier words. "You have no idea what I can handle."

"Then show me. Go back to Nashville and show us all."

Maddie gazed up at him. Landon Hayes had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen, and they stood out bright against the grayness of the day around them. He was a little too close, maybe, a little too….something, because she was having a hard time breathing again, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she was soaking wet and freezing cold. She felt like the world was moving in slow motion. "Why do you even care?" she whispered.

He couldn't find the right words to answer. He didn't know why.

"Thanks for not giving up on me," Maddie murmured. Before she could lose her nerve, she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

Then she stood up and started back towards the truck.

Feeling all kinds of conflict stirring up in his gut, Landon watched her walk away.

It wasn't the first time he'd thought maybe _he_ was the one thatneeded to walk away. From all of this. This girl, that city, this industry where it stopped being about the music and became about the money as soon as you got that first #1 hit.

Finally, with a long deep sigh, he stood up and followed.

He couldn't walk away when he'd just told her not to.

Karma sure had its way of coming back around.

Maddie got in the backseat, to his amusement, among both their guitar cases and random piles of junk that had a tendency to collect back there when he was on the road, which was more often than not.

 _Maybe its safer that way,_ he thought silently. He watched in the rearview mirror as she pulled on a stray sweatshirt and used her fingers to try to untangle her hair, then wrestled open her guitar case in the small space. It didn't matter what kind of crazy mixed up emotions she was stirring up, she was still sixteen years old and as innocent as the day was long.

"You mind if I play while you drive?" Maddie asked, strumming a few notes.

"Nah," he cleared his throat. "I don't mind that at all."

"Good," she smiled. "I think I have an idea for a song."

"I got a couple too. Maybe you can write em down while I get us there. Guess we're stuck with each other, might as well make the best of it, huh?" he said lightly.

"Yeah," Maddie met his eyes in the mirror. "Guess so."

 _Only 1000 miles to go_ , he thought silently.

What would happen when they hit that Tennessee border, only god knew.


	4. Chapter 4

**Rayna, 1992**

 _She loved Nashville. She'd been born and raised here, and it would always be home. Her heart would always belong to the hustle and bustle, the lights of the honky tonks on Broadway, the sound of country music that filtered from every corner of the city._

 _But up here, it was nice and quiet, just the sound of the wind rustling in the trees and the lure of the stars above. Like the calm before the storm. In front of her, the whole city stretched out in the distance, all lit up and everything it represented calling, just beckoning a person reach out and chase a dream. They liked to come up here sometimes, her and Deacon, just to watch the stars, or write a new song, or be away from the craziness down below._

 _Things had been harder than usual to sort out lately. There was some tough decisions to be made._

 _This week she'd received her first two offers to get signed by two different labels. After almost three years of playing open mics and playing for tips, finally getting gigs at fairs and a couple sweet opening tour spots, things were happening. She'd gotten to open for George Strait on tour this past summer, and it had been like a dream._

 _"You thinkin about that offer from Edgehill?" Deacon nudged her knee with his, sitting on the blanket next to her._

 _She bit her lip. She needed to tell him first. She knew she did. If she didn't, he was likely to find out some other way, and he'd never forgive her hearing it from someone else._

 _"I got another offer," she confessed quietly. "Bigger than Edgehill."_

 _He stared at her. "What?"_

 _"Warner Brothers. Three albums and a signing bonus. My own headlining tour."_

 _"Baby that's huge! That's like your dream."_

 _She chewed her lip some more._

 _"Why don't you look happy?"_

 _Rayna looked away, and tried to hide the tears in her eyes, but he caught her chin with his finger._

 _"Just tell me."_

 _"They don't want you onstage with me," she said quietly._

 _His face turned down into a frown. "And why the hell not?"_

 _She couldn't say it. He'd been doing so good lately, and she knew he was trying like hell. Showing up on time, limiting his drinking to after the shows. The George Strait tour had been great. He'd only missed one show, and she could forgive that. He was doing good. They were doing good together._

 _But every once in awhile those demons still came to the surface. She could see it in his eyes, when he got that haunted look, feel it ooze off of him like fire when he'd wake her up sometimes in the middle of the night coming home from a bender._

 _I just need to hold you, baby. That makes everything alright, he'd say._

 _So he would. And she'd let him. And he'd be good for a little while again, weeks even._

 _After all this time together, she wanted desperately to understand but she still didn't know where it came from_.

And it _scared her to death that sometimes she thought she loved him enough not to care._

 _She just stared at the six pack of beer he'd carried up the hill with them._

 _"Wait a minute," Deacon was doing the math in his head, she could see it. "Whose gonna produce all these albums?"_

 _"Jack Fulton."_

 _Deacon swore under his breath, and got to his feet. "No effing way, Rayna. You know that guy's reputation."_

 _"We don't know any of that's true," she said carefully. "People talk. People say things when they get mad, spread rumors."_

 _"Why don't you call Lindsey Nixon or Shari Allen and ask em if it's true," he said, his voice getting louder. "Guess they must have pissed him off, and guess where they are now, Ray? Sure as hell not getting their songs on the radio! And there's a hell of a lot more girls just like you who probably don't even want to admit the crap he puts them through. I've been around a lot longer than you. You need to listen to me on this one. You're not working with Fulton. Watty will say the same thing."_

 _"Jack Fulton is the best producer in Nashville right now, Deacon."_

 _"Yeah, if you're a man! If you're a 20 year old girl, making platinum records is not his first priority. Believe me."_

 _She stuck her chin out and stood up. "First of all, don't say I'm a girl like I'm some little kid who doesn't know what I'm doing. You don't get to make these decisions for me, Deacon. You're just my guitar player, not my manager."_

 _His eyes looked hurt at that remark. "Just your guitar player, huh?"_

 _Rayna closed her eyes. "I didn't meant it like that," she said softly, reaching out to touch his arm. "Babe, you know I love you and I love the music we make together. They just...see you as a risk."_

 _But it was too late, he downed one of the beers in the pack almost in a single pull, then he reared his arm back and tossed it as hard as he could. They couldn't see where it landed, but you could hear the shatter as the glass hit the pavement below. "Because I'm not dependable, right?" He threw another bottle. It wasn't even empty. "Because I'm a drunk." Number 3. "Washed up drunk at 23 years old, just like my daddy. That's why Jack Fulton doesn't want me on your damn record. Or so he can try and sleep with you as soon as my back is turned."_

 _"Stop," she started to cry. "Just stop please. I'm just trying to make the right decision here, Deacon."_

 _Wearily, he dropped the last bottle on the grass without even opening it, and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry," he murmured in her ear, pulling her close. "Edgehill is a startup label, Ray. You know it's gonna take you longer to get anywhere. It's your life. If you...well, if you want to sign with Warner Bros, do it. Just please, please promise me you will not be alone in a room with Fulton. Never. Not even one time."_

 _"I'm not doing it without you," she said, her voice muffled against his chest. "If they say no, I'll go with Edgehill. But you gotta promise me you're going to stop drinking, Deacon. This is both of our futures on the line. I know you're trying, but you're going to have to prove it."_

 _He drew in a ragged breath. "I'll try harder. I swear I will."_

 _She'd heard that before. But this time, she wanted to believe he would._

 _"I'll call Warner Brothers tomorrow, and tell them that's the deal," she said softly. "No Rayna Jaymes without Deacon Claybourne."..._

 _It should have made them both feel better._

 _But as he buried her face in her hair, and Rayna stared up at the stars once more, the only thing she could feel was an impending sense of wondering if she was making the right choices, or if the world was about to crash down around them any second._

 _Only time would tell._

 _####################################_

 **Rayna and Deacon 2016**

Deacon had thought they were doing okay, muddling through the idea that Maddie was really gone, and then he came home late from the Beverly one Friday night to find Rayna sitting on Maddie's bed in her old room, her face wet with tears and an old fuzz worn bunny in her hands.

"Hey," he said, knocking on the open door softly. "What you still doing up?"

Rayna gazed down at the bunny in her lap. "The house is so quiet, you know?" she said as he sat down next to her and pulled her against him. "Daphne is at a soccer camp this weekend, and I came home and it was just so...quiet."

"I know, Baby. I know. I miss her like crazy."

She laid his head on her shoulder. "I don't even want to be here without them."

"How bout we head up to the cabin?" he said softly.

"Tonight? It's late."

"I don't mind. Frankie can cover me at the bar for a few days. He'll understand."

"Then I would love that," Rayna looked relieved. "Bucky can cover my meetings for tomorrow morning, and Daphne doesn't come back until Sunday. It'll be nice to have a couple days away from...everything."

In no time at all they were on the highway headed up for the cabin. Deacon drove, with her head on his shoulder, her hand holding his tightly. Neither of them said much. He hated to see her hurting.

When they arrived, they didn't go in right away, instead sitting on the porch step staring up at the stars. It was a beautiful warm summer night. How many times, Rayna thought, had she looked to the stars for guidance, like reminders that she had a million guardian angels watching over her.

She hoped Maddie was somewhere doing the same.

"You think she's okay?" Rayna murmured, "I know we said we'd let her live her own life, but it's been two weeks and she hasn't even called and she's barely used the credit card I sent to Frankie's house. I mean how is she getting by?"

Deacon didn't want to say what he thought. Didn't want to put the burden of any more worries on her.

"What?" Rayna looked at him dubiously. "What is it you aren't telling me?"

"Frankie said Maddie and Cash took off to L.A." he conceded.

Rayna's face looked pale. "She's left Nashville?"

"I guess so."

She swallowed hard, and nodded. "I guess I'm not really surprised. Cash doesn't seem to stick around anywhere too long."

"No, she doesn't," he sighed. "Guess she gets that from her mother. That woman certainly didn't stick around very long. Took off when Cash was barely walking. Between Frankie's drinking and that, god knows what would have happened to her if Landon's mama hadn't come along when she did."

Rayna rubbed her eyes wearily. "I've been thinking, you know, about when I first started out. All that trouble with Jack Fulton... that almost cost me everything. I had to fight like hell to get out of that contract, to get my songs back, to stop all the rumors..."

Deacon scowled. "Don't remind me. It was worth the three days in jail to punch that smirk off his face."

"I just hope Maddie makes the right decisions," Rayna said, troubled. "I remember what it was like, you know? So many people pulling you in different directions, wanting things from you. I wasn't much older than her, and I made so many wrong decisions... God only knows what would have happened if I didn't have you and Watty looking out for me."

"But you learned from your mistakes," he reminded, kissing her forehead. "All we can do is hope that she will too. And hope to god she doesn't make the same ones."

"Yeah, I guess," she murmured. She glanced up at the stars once more.

 _I don't need anything else in this world,_ she wished silently _, just let her come home_.

#######################################

 **Maddie 2016**

When they hit Texas, Landon conceded to let Maddie drive. They'd been on the road for 14 hours and were only halfway home, and he was dead tired.

"You need to close your eyes for a few hours," she insisted. "It's a straight shot to Amarillo, right? And there's nothing out here except tumbleweeds and coyotes. I'll be fine driving."

He finally gave in. "Wake me up when we get into town and we'll find a place to stop for the night." He said as Maddie settled into the driver's seat. He pulled his hat down over his eyes and slid down into the passenger seat.

"Sounds like a plan."

She was already adjusting the radio to find a song she liked, and singing along softly by the time they pulled back out onto the highway.

Under his hat, Landon smiled and closed his eyes. He was out within minutes.

He woke a little while later to find the truck had stopped moving and Maddie was nowhere in sight. When he sat up and looked out the window, he realized she had pulled off the highway onto a deserted country road and parked.

He heard her before he saw her, through the open window. She was sitting on his back tailgate with her guitar in the moonlight.

He listened for a few minutes as she played.

 _All the fighting, the crying, the driving away_

 _the tossing, the turning, the cursing your name_

 _Can't see the goodbye past the good times_

 _when you were mine_

 _Everything about me and you_

 _looks better in my rearview._

Of course, he'd heard Maddie sing before. Cash had been sending him stuff they'd been writing together for weeks, not to mention they'd rattled off a couple of pretty good songs just driving today he couldn't wait to get to trying out at the first chance.

But this was a different kind of song. This was the kind you kept for yourself. Too bad those were usually the best ones. He had enough of his own songs like that.

Something about her words was so haunting, it almost made his chest hurt.

She was too young to have already had her heart broken.

Maddie stopped playing when she heard Landon's footsteps crunching on the gravel, and glanced over her shoulder. His baseball cap was gone, blonde hair looking a little crazy from sleep, and he stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey," she threw him a smile. "Have a nice nap?"

He came over and sat down on the tailgate next to her.

"It was alright. That's a damn fine song."

"Thanks," she blushed a little, and avoided his eyes, fussing with adjusting the tuning pegs on her guitar instead. Something about being so close to Landon just unnerved her.

It was like he knew all her secrets, even though she hadn't told him a thing.

"Maybe you could help me fix it up a little?"

"It's perfect exactly the way it is. Trust me. Don't mess with a good thing too much."

"That means a lot coming from you," she said softly.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Guess that depends on what."

"Who was the guy that broke you?"

Maddie stared up at the sky. It was a perfectly clear night and finally, unlike in L.A. she could see every star. "It doesn't really matter," she said, fighting a few tears that threatened. "He's long gone."

"He the reason you were so determined to leave Nashville with Cash?"

"Partly," she admitted. "I just needed to get away for awhile."

"Did you love him?"

"I'm not sure," she confessed. "I mean, I thought I did, but I think maybe I was more in love with the idea of being in love. I mean nobody finds their soulmate when they're fifteen, right?"

"Maybe. Your parents were pretty young. Their story is like a damn country legend," Landon said with a grin.

Him mentioning her parents brought immediate guilt. She missed them. She missed Daphne.

Not for the first time she was starting to wonder if chasing this dream on her own was worth the price.

She smiled briefly. "It is. But it took them a long time to get a happy ending. Anyway, Colt...didn't turn out to be the person I thought he was."

Landon nodded, then he got real quiet for a few minutes.

"He's a jerk for letting you go," he said finally.

She laughed softly, and bumped her knee against his.

He gave her a crooked smile and bumped her back.

And then without a second thought, he caught up her face in the palm of his hand, her guitar still between them and brushed his lips against hers.

The feel of his hand against her face was so careful and so gentle that it almost made her heart ache. It had been so long since someone kissed her like that, like she meant something special.

Landon pulled back and his eyes were hazy.

And Maddie looked equally stunned.

"We can't," she said, her voice shaky. "I can't go there with you, Landon." Her breathe came out in a soft sigh. "I think your friendship already means too much to me."

"I know," he closed his eyes, silently cursing himself. "Me too."

There was a thousand reasons they couldn't. She was too young, he was too free. Her heart was still sore. He didn't even know if his worked.

"God this whole being a sensible adult thing sucks." Maddie with a sigh, dropping her forehead against his shoulder. "You shoulda warned me."

His laughter rumbled next to her ear. "Baby you're doin' just fine."

She sighed. "You know what I was really doing sitting out here?"

"What's that?"

She winced. "Admiring the stars and thinking we could write a song about being lost in Texas."

He raised his eyebrows and looked at her, amused. "Oh we're lost, are we?"

"Maybe a little," she said sheepishly.

His laughter rang out and echoed against the night sky, and Maddie found herself laughing too.

"I just needed a soda," she protested. "And I followed a gas station sign, and then there was this detour..."

"How long ago was that?"

"About an hour and 80 miles ago."

They slid off the tailgate and walked around the truck. He slung his arm across her shoulders, and she had her guitar in one hand.

"What am I gonna do with you, Maddie Rae." he said with a mock sigh as he opened the driver's door.

Maddie met his eyes across the hood of the truck. "Just be my friend, Landon. Right now, that's enough."

He watched her carefully put her guitar in the backseat and climb back into the passenger seat.

Right now, he thought silently, that was everything.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rayna and Deacon 1992**

 _Deacon watched as Rayna buzzed around like a crazy person, moving things around the apartment, trying to make sure everything was perfect, checking on the food she'd had delivered for dinner. It was clear her nerves were getting the best of her, and with good reason._

 _Lamar and Tandy were coming for dinner._

 _He would have rather stuck nails in his eyes than sit across a table from her dad and sister, but it was important to Rayna. She hadn't been face to face with her family in almost three years._

 _"I don't know why they gotta come here," he grumbled. "Can't we just meet at a restaurant or something?"_

 _"Because," Rayna leaned over and kissed his cheek where he sat on a wooden chair at the kitchen table, which had been set with candles and cloth linens she'd bought especially for tonight. "You know Daddy likes to do things his way. Now how do I look?" She spun around in front of him._

 _She was wearing some kind of summer dress with big flowers on it, had her hair all done up. Even had slipped on some high heels._

 _Ray always looked good to him. But he always liked her best barefoot in rhinestone jeans and one of his old tshirts._

 _"Baby, you look fine," Deacon said patiently. "And no matter what they think, you know I love you."_

 _Her heart melted. The last six months had been hell, with the fallout from Jack Fulton and Warner Bros. She was ashamed to admit she should have not been so stubborn and listened to Deacon and Watty in the first place. Fulton had tried to make a move on her the first chance he got, and when she refused, he'd made it perfectly clear what his expectations of her making an album with him were._

 _The problem was that when Deacon found out what had happened, he'd immediately decided to take the matter into his own hands. Fulton had ended up in the hospital, Deacon ended up in jail, and she ended up with no contract, no record, no tour, and a reputation as being "difficult to work with" that was proving hard to overcome._

 _She felt like they were starting all over now. Three years in Nashville and back to playing bar shows for tips, trying to get their songs heard._

 _"Love you too," she sighed, pressing a kiss to his mouth and leaning her head against his chest._

 _"We're doin okay, right?" He asked earnestly, his eyes meeting hers. "You and me?"_

 _"Yeah," she forced a smile. "We're okay, babe." Deacon had ended up in thirty days of court appointed rehab after the Fulton incident. It had been the longest month of her life, sleeping in this little apartment without him. She couldn't really be angry at him for going off on Fulton. He'd been trying to protect her, and taken it too far._

 _He always tried to protect her._

 _A knock on the door had her sliding off his lap._

 _Deacon sighed. "Well let's get this over with."_

 _Lamar looked gigantic and intrusive as Rayna led him and Tandy into the small apartment._

 _Tandy hugged her sister tightly and then turned to Deacon_.

 _"Deacon," she pursed her lips. "Oh, you're still around?"_

 _Rayna's sister had hated him from the beginning. He sometimes didn't know if it was because she resented him for supporting Rayna leaving home, or if she was just a bitch. Probably a little of both, he decided._

 _"Tandy," he said cordially. "You're still you, I see."_

 _Tandy didn't look impressed._

 _"So this is where you've been hiding my daughter," Lamar's voice bounced off the walls, like the place was just too small to hold him._

 _Deacon reluctantly held out his hand to shake Lamar's, but the man made no effort._

 _"We're not hiding, Daddy," Rayna said, quickly stepping between them to kiss her father's cheek, as was the obligatory greeting. "We've just been...busy."_

" _It certainly is...cozy," Tandy drawled. "It's almost like y'all just live in one room."_

 _"Well it's an open floor plan," Rayna said hurriedly. "We'll be looking at houses soon. But like I said, we're not here much..."_

 _Deacon frowned. He didn't like that she felt like she needed to explain them to anyone. Sure, they'd talked about houses. Somewhere down the line. But they'd both agreed this place was good enough for now. It was just the two of them anyway, and he liked the way she'd fixed it up a little at a time since she moved in. It was the first place that had felt like home to him in a long time._

 _"We're waiting til we find the perfect place on a lake, right?" He added, reaching for her hand, making them a united front. "That's what Rayna wants."_

 _"Right," she shot him a grateful look._

 _But he could see her confidence wavering. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all._

 _Dinner by all accounts, was fine on the surface._

 _Deacon didn't say much, until the subject of Rayna's current state of career was brought up. Then things went from bad to worse in a hurry, and before he knew it, Rayna and Tandy were yelling at each other across the table, arguing about her coming to work for Lamar at the family business._

 _"Now hold on just a damn minute," he cut in. "Maybe things aren't great right now, but this girl here, she's the most talented woman that's come out of Nashville in a wrong time, and we're going to make sure everyone knows it one way or another. We don't have much right now, but we got each other and we're doin just fine. And if you two got a problem with that, well...there's the door."_

 _Rayna was already crying, and she fled to the bathroom._

 _Tandy glared at him, and stood up and dropped her napkin on the table. "Well this went exactly as I expected. I'll be in the car, Daddy." She stalked out._

 _Lamar rose to his feet, and stood there for what seemed like the longest five minutes ever, his eyes scrolling every inch of the tiny apartment before landing on Deacon, who stared him down defiantly._

 _"You'll never be able to give her everything she needs," he smirked. "My daughter was raised with a...certain kind of lifestyle. And this is not it. That's what she deserves. She is a Wyatt. And she will always be a Wyatt."_

 _"You're right," Deacon said quietly. "She does deserve it. But whether she wants it or not is her decision, not yours and not mine. She's Rayna Jaymes now, and there's a reason for that. You never really knew her. And that's the part that gets you more than anything, doesn't it, Lamar? You don't understand the music, because you don't know her at all. But I do."_

 _Lamar's smirk faded. He dropped an envelope on the table with Rayna's name on the front and stalked out of the apartment without another word._

 _When Rayna came out of the bathroom 10 minutes later, her eyes red and puffy, Deacon was sitting on the well-worn sofa with his head in his hands._

 _"Hey," he pulled her back onto his lap. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I know how bad you want to fix things with your family. I should kept my mouth shut. I seem to have a problem with that."_

 _"I'm glad you didn't," she sighed, and leaned into his strength. "It was true what you said. And I'm glad you didn't keep your mouth shut with Fulton either. Don't blame yourself for that, babe."_

 _"He left you something. Not sure I want to know what's in that envelope."_

 _Five minutes later, they were both still staring at it in shock. Lamar had written her a check for $100,000._

 _"What do I do?" Rayna murmured. "That's a hell of a lot of guilt money, Deacon. But god, think what we could do with it... hire more musicians, all the studio time that could buy. All the demos we could cut. But he'd never let me forget it if I took it."_

 _"I think," Deacon said quietly. "Sometimes there's no shame in taking help from other people. But sometimes it's okay to say "no thanks" too."_

 _She nodded. Then she slowly ripped the check in half. "I don't think we're going to be needing this."_

 _He let out a sigh of relief. "Not gonna lie, I'm glad you just did that. You got enough talent, you don't need Lamar's money to get you there, Ray."_

 _"You really think so?"_

 _"I do. I know it," Deacon promised. "Some day you're gonna be the queen of country. And I'll be standing right there next to you..."_

 _######################################_

 **Maddie and Landon 2016**

They made it back to Tennessee by Saturday night. The closer they got to the Davidson county line, the antsier Maddie got in the seat next to him.

And then the phone call he'd been half expecting finally happened. Cash's name showed up.

"Hey," Landon said, keeping his voice level. "Nice you finally decide to call."

Maddie stared out the window and tried not to listen. Cash was his sister, after all, no matter how frustrated and disappointed she was, they were family to each other.

"Yeah, she's with me," he said, trying not to get pissed. "Well what did you think was going to happen to her, Cash? You left her in California by herself."

Whatever Cash said, it didn't make him very happy.

He handed the phone to her. "She wants to talk to you."

Maddie sighed, but she reluctantly took the phone.

"Hey. How's Europe?"

"Oh it's great!" Cash said happily. "Sorry I left so fast, but it came up suddenly and I couldn't say no. Why did you let my brother talk you into going back to Nashville? You could have stayed at the house in L.A. til I got back. He's hardly ever there anyway."

"L.A. isn't really my place, Cash," she said, glancing at Landon. He just drove and stared straight forward, his hands gripping the steering wheel. "So uh...are you planning on coming back to Nashville soon?"

"For sure," Cash said. "I mean, we want to get that meeting with Sony, right? And I have a couple friends I want you to meet. We're talking you and me fronting a whole band, Maddie. This could be huge."

Listening to Cash make plans for her future, it started to make a lot more sense then. All of it.

"You know I'm more of a solo artist," Maddie said slowly. "So I don't really think that would work out for me. Good luck with it, though."

Cash wasn't too happy to hear that, and she made it clear.

"Alright, well see ya," Maddie said quietly, pressing the end call button.

They drove in silence for awhile, and Landon didn't ask.

"Well," Maddie said finally. "Guess I just got my first taste of what it feels like to be used."

Landon shook his head. "Don't hold it against her. She's just...had a hard life. Doesn't really get that she's not dependable. Or accountable. She looks out for herself. Guess you get used to doing that, and sometimes you don't realize you're hurting people."

 _What about you?_ Maddie wanted to say. Two days in a vehicle had a way of getting a person talking. She'd told him way more than she ever intended. About finding out Deacon was her dad, her parents' accident, the struggle of trying to find her own place in a house full of musicians.

He'd told her things too. Things she'd carry with her always. Things that made her realize her life might not have been so godawful hard as she made it out to be.

Landon didn't say anything now, and she wondered if it was because they'd already told each other too much.

"Well, here we are," she said softly when they passed the first "Welcome to Nashville" sign. "Back on the home turf."

"Yep. You ready for this?"

She couldn't take her eyes off the skyline, all starting to get lit up as the sun settled down for the day. Facing the place she'd grew up in for the first time on her own. "Guess I have to be."

Landon knew she was thinking about that question he'd asked her the day before.

 _What now? What's your plan?_

He also knew she might not have said it out loud, but she was fully expecting him to take her home. To drop her off on her parents' doorstep and leave her to deal with it from there.

The confusion on her face was evident when they rolled to a stop instead in front of a tiny house in east Nashville.

"What's this, do you have another house?" Maddie smirked. "I'm losing track of them all now."

He grinned. "You're cute when you try to be funny."

She rolled her eyes, but she smiled.

"It's a friend's Airbnb. There's a studio apartment upstairs above the garage in back. You can have it for six months."

She stared at him, stunned. "What?"

"You gotta stay somewhere, right?"

"And when was all this arranged?"

"This morning when you were snoring like a lumberjack in the other bed."

"I don't snore!"

He was teasing her. "Whatever you say."

Maddie shook her head slowly. "I don't even have money to pay rent, Landon. I don't know what's going to happen with that Sony contract, and I need to try to sell some of my songs, or get a job or something. I'm not living off my mom's credit card. That would just defeat the entire purpose of being on my own."

"I know that," Landon said easily. "It's been taken care of."

Maddie jerked her head up. "Please say this isn't some kind of setup by my parents."

"It's not. But here's the deal. You give it six months and if you can't do it on your own, I want you to go back to your parents. Just to their house. Just so I know you have somewhere to go."

He could see how hard it was for her to accept help. Pride could be a hard thing to swallow.

"What about you?" Maddie said. "What are you going to do? Turn around and go back to L.A? That's crazy."

"Well I haven't been in Nashville for five years, so I don't plan on sticking around long," he said wryly. "But If I actually walked into the label office, they might all die of shock, so that might be kinda fun. I might do that. Then I have some shows coming up in Austin. And its about time for a new album anyway. My manager's been on my case for a couple months about that."

"So I probably won't see you again." She said quietly.

His eyes met hers. "You will. Some day. It's just...how it is, you know? Gotta keep working, stay busy. This is how it goes. You'll figure that out. Nobody in this industry stays in one place too long."

She nodded her head slowly. "If I take your...offer for this place," she said. "I want you to do something for me before you leave again."

"What's that?" He gave her a little smile.

"Go see your dad while you're here."

His smile faded.

"Listen, I know you're leaving things out about that story with you and Frankie," Maddie said tentatively. "But I know he's sober and he's doing really good. In business with my dad at the bar and all. People make mistakes. Sometimes they deserve to be forgiven. If my mom and dad's relationship taught me anything, it is that."

"You know," he said quietly. "You're a lot better at being a grown up than you give yourself credit for."

"That's a good thing. I think."

"It is."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes staring at the little blue house.

"Well," Maddie said with a sigh. "Guess I better go check this place out, huh?" She opened the passenger door and climbed out of the truck. Night had fallen now, and the streetlight came on overhead.

Landon came around the front and leaned against the fender with his arms crossed. "Key's under the flowerpot on the landing, Kelly said. And she left a list of things you'll need to know on the table, along with her number."

"Right. Okay." She took her guitar case out of the back, grabbed her duffel bag and set them on the sidewalk.

And then she hugged him. It was supposed to be a quick goodbye hug, but it lingered on far longer. She couldn't make herself let go, and he couldn't stop his arms from finding their way around her waist, and they just stood there holding onto each other for dear life.

"Want to help me carry my stuff up?" She murmured.

Landon smiled and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "That's a terrible idea and you know it. I gotta go. Take care of yourself, alright? You got my number. Don't be afraid to use it if you need anything."

"I won't. But thanks," she nodded, forcing herself to let go, back away slowly. But he was still holding her hand. "I mean it. For everything."

"You too, Maddie Rae." He forced himself to let go of her hand and walk away, get back in the truck, and put it into drive.

But he couldn't help looking in the rearview mirror, and she was still standing there, watching him drive away.

The words to her song came back to him.

 _Everything about me and you...looks better in my rearview._

With a sigh, he picked up his phone from the seat next to him and scrolled to a number he hadn't dialed in a hell of a long time.

"Hey Dad," he said cautiously. "It's Landon. I'm in town. Thinkin' maybe I'd stop at the house if you're around..."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Rayna, 1992**_

 _ **Colorado State Fair**_

 _ **What a way to jump back in feet first, Rayna thought anxiously as she stood off to the side of the main stage, surveying the crowd. It was one of the largest she'd ever played for, and a step up from the free stage, that was for sure. The crowd had bought tickets to see Wynona Judd, who was coming on after her, but it was her job as the opener to get them warmed up.**_

 _ **The fact that Watty White had managed to get her on this tour in the first place was somewhat of a miracle, but she knew what Edgehill was really doing: testing her to see if she could cut it. They'd taken a couple of her and Deacon's songs for their other artists, sent her out on some opening gigs, but so far the record deal she desperately wanted still seemed to be out of reach.**_

 _ **This was her chance to prove to them all what she was made of.**_

" _ **You'll be fine." Deacon said, waiting at her shoulder with his guitar while the rest of the band warmed up behind them.**_

 _ **"I know," she lied. But truthfully, she was scared to death.**_

 _ **Rayna pasted a big smile on her face, and went out to greet the crowd. It was the third night of the fair, and most of these people had spent three days already in the sun on a beer and music high.**_

 _ **She wasn't even halfway through the first song, when an unexpected power surge cut power to half the stage and most of the band behind her, leaving her standing there under the spotlight. There was a mad scramble among the crew to figure out what the hell had happened, but the crowd was already jeering.**_

 _ **"Show us your boobs, that'll make up for it," some guy in the front row yelled, the beer in his hand wavering.**_

 _ **Behind her, Deacon was yelling directions at the crew.**_

 _ **"Don't worry y'all, I'm sure we'll get this fixed right up," she threw the crowd a smile, relieved to realize her microphone was still working at least.**_

 _ **They were having none of it.**_

 _ **"You know how to sing or what?"**_

 _ **"Get her off the stage!"**_

 _ **Feeling defeated and unsure of what to do, she turned to leave, but Deacon had unplugged his guitar.**_

 _ **"Ray, you can't walk off."**_

 _ **"They hate me," she said miserably.**_

 _ **"They're drunk. They just want to hear some music and we're gonna give em some." He put his hand on her shoulder and steered her right back to the spotlight, where he'd had a stagehand carry out two stools.**_

 _ **"Look at me," he said, his eyes meeting hers. "If you walk off this stage now, it's giving up. The Rayna Jaymes I know didn't come this far to give up."**_

 _ **"You're right," she said, feeling her confidence grow. "We can just do an acoustic set until they fix it, right?"**_

 _ **"Good girl. Now let's give these people a show."...**_

 _ **##############################**_

 **Maddie 2016**

 **Three months later...**

Maddie dropped her purse and jacket on the side table and fell onto the sofa face down with an exhausted sigh.

She'd worked a shift and a half at the restaurant today, filling in for someone else who called in sick. It wasn't all bad. The afternoon crowd left better tips, and she needed the money. Waiting tables wasn't great, but it was a job. The staff liked her, she could work all day and then they'd let her play a couple songs sometimes at night when there was gaps in the artist lineup. She was even starting to get her own little crowd of fans who came to listen to her play.

It was a good feeling. Just tiring. She wondered if she was ever going to get a damn break.

Then again, she thought as she sat up and brushed the hair out of her eyes, the one thing she'd definitely took notice of in the last three months was that there was a million other artists in this town right now doing the exact same thing as she was, playing whatever open mic and free gig they could get just to get heard.

They were all just trying to make it.

She glanced around the tiny apartment, and a feeling of pride came over her. The little furnished place Landon had gotten her was just one big room, really, with a bed, room for a couch, a tiny kitchenette, and a bathroom, but it was starting to feel like home. And she planned to stay when the six months was up.

She _was_ making it. Sure, the deal with Sony had been a bust. But the emancipation had been granted with no fuss from her parents, thank god. She hadn't seen them, but she'd talked to them, just via text messages.

 _Sweetheart, we just want to know you're okay. And safe. We heard you were in California._

 _I'm fine, Mom. I'm back in Nashville and I have a nice place, and a job, and I'm okay._

 _With Cash?_

She didn't answer that part.

There'd been a nice message from her dad on her birthday awhile ago as well.

 _Happy birthday sweetheart. Just wanted you to know we're thinking about you today, and we're real proud of you. Hope you'll stop at the house soon._

 _Thanks Dad. Soon. Tell Daphne I love her._

Daphne. As far as she figured, her little sister was probably never going to forgive her. She'd texted her a few times, and gotten no response.

And Cash, well, god knows what Cash was up to now. They'd hardly spoken since she got back.

She hadn't heard from Landon either. Didn't even know if he was still in town. There were rumors he'd been seen around town, but god knows if those were true or not. One thing Landon Hayes was very good at was not being found when he didn't want to be found.

Indeed she was making it on her own. Too bad it felt so damn lonely.

Her phone buzzed in her purse, and she reached for it.

She was surpised to see Landon's name pop up, and the little butterflies turned around in her stomach.

"Well speak of the devil, I was just sitting here thinking about you," she said lightly.

"Oh were you now? How's it going. Place working out alright?"

"Great. It's great. Did you just...call to check up on me?"

"Nope. I'm playing a pop up concert at Skulls Rainbow Room tonight downtown and my opener just backed out. Come down and fill in."

Maddie's heart jumped. "Are you serious?"

"Hell yeah. We're announcing the launch for the new album tonight. You aren't gonna want to miss this. The show starts in an hour. Get your guitar and get your butt down here Maddie Rae. This is gonna be a big night for you."

"Wait a minute," she said, feigning irritation. "You've been here in Nashville the whole time _recording an album_ and you didn't bother to tell me? I think I'm kinda mad at you for that."

His laughter rang out through the phone, and she couldn't hold back her own smile. "Just get down here. You can yell at me later. You in?"

"Yeah," she said, feeling a rush of excitement. "I'm in."

#####################################

 **Deacon 2016**

Deacon stood in the back of Skull's bar, half hidden in the shadows, with a ballcap over his eyes, waiting impatiently, glancing at his phone. Rayna was on tour in North Carolina, texting him like mad.

 _Did you see her? How does she look?_

 _Haven't seen her yet but this place is packed._

In theory **,** they'd known the second Maddie was back in town. She might have been oblivious to all the people that had eyes on her, but there were definitely those keeping watching at a safe distance. Including his own business partner.

He'd been grateful tonight when Frankie hinted that his son was playing a big show at Skull's Rainbow Room tonight. _You might want to check it out, Deac. The opening act especially._

Deacon hadn't laid eyes on Frankie's son in years, but knew the kid was making somewhat of a country music legend of himself, both as a songwriter and as a kick-ass guitar player. There'd been a lot of rumors around town lately that Landon Hayes was back to stay, and up to something big. What Deacon couldn't figure out, from the details he could drag out of Frankie, was how Maddie had ended up in the middle of it. Frankie would say nothing except Landon had brought Maddie back to Nashville a few months ago, and Cash was MIA.

And it was driving Rayna crazy not knowing.

 _I just need to know she's okay, babe. I need to see it. Like not living in an alley or doing drugs or getting drunk every night, hanging out with bad people._

He had almost laughed at that one. _Ray, she has more common sense than that._

And like it or not, here was Maddie, coming out onstage looking more grown up than he'd ever seen her, and not just her looks. Her stage presence had matured a lot since the last time he'd seen her play. It hurt his heart a little. She shined up there, so damn happy just to be on a stage. And she was good at it. More talented than he'd ever be.

She was chasing a dream, alright, just like he had, and Rayna had. He remembered it. Those first audiences, the desperation of just wanting to get your songs heard, the thrill of the applause, that feeling like you were finally where you were supposed to be.

 _I see her_ , he texted Ray, and tried to inconspicuously snap a pic with his phone. _She looks good_.

 _Oh thank god,_ Rayna texted back. _Keep me posted._

His eyes returned to the stage.

"I'm Maddie Rae," she said with a smile. "And well we all go through some tough times now and then. This song was about one of mine," and she started to play.

 _I been tryin_

 _for a long long time_

 _But no matter what I do_

 _When I turn to leave_

 _my heart stays behind_

 _Cause I can't get over you_

"Play something that ain't depressing!" a heckler in the front row called.

"Show us your boobs, that would liven it up!" Someone else called.

"Get her off the stage. We came here for Landon Hayes!"

Maddie faltered in her lyrics.

Deacon's chest tightened, and he felt his temper rise. Because once upon a time he had seen her mama go through those same things. And once upon a time he would have already been up there throwing that guy to the floor and dragging Maddie off the stage.

But maybe Rayna was right. Maybe they'd sheltered her too much, trying to make up for the past. Rayna had been the same age when she'd started playing shows just like this. And the jerks in the crowd sometimes hadn't been much better, even back then. He'd always done his best to try and protect her, and sometimes she'd gotten downright pissed and let him have it.

 _I'm a big girl, Deacon, I can take care of myself. I don't need you fighting my battles._ Well he'd loved her enough to try to fight them anyway.

But Maddie was not built of steel like Rayna. And she was not him who would have just spouted off a bunch of comments to shut them up. She was Maddie. As pure-hearted as a girl could ever be. And liable to take it more personally than either of them ever had.

He could see her face crumble. She tried to keep playing, but the lewd comments were drowning her out.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, and quickly unhooked her guitar and turned to leave, disappearing to the right until Deacon couldn't see her anymore.

He wanted to go after her so badly. To hug her and tell her it would be okay, take her home to her mama. But he didn't.

 _Come on, Maddie. Get back on that stage..._

He waited, almost gave in and walked over there, but then realized someone else had stopped Maddie before she got to the exit. Landon.

He hadn't seen Frankie's son since he was knee-high, but the "kid" wasn't a kid at all. He'd known that theoretically, but it was different now, seeing him with Maddie, the way he put a hand on her arm, reached up and brushed the tears from her cheeks before he turned her around and sent her right back up on that stage.

No indeed. He didn't like what was going on there one bit.

And there wasn't a damn thing he could except watch it happen.

 _###########################################_

Maddie didn't even get very far before Landon appeared, guitar in his hands, ready to go onstage after her, and stepped in front of her. She hadn't even seen him before the show, just been ushered on in a hurry.

 _Wait, where is he?_ She'd asked. _Shouldn't I talk this over with him?_

The manager gave her a smirk. _Landon doesn't show up until he's good and ready. Just get up there and play._

And here he was now, grabbing her by the shoulders. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving." she muttered, tears blinding her eyes as she searched for the nearest exit sign.

Landon's hand on her arm was gentle but firm. "Get back on that stage, Maddie."

"They don't want me. You heard them. You're the big star, Lan. Go give them what they want."

"They don't even know you. And if you don't get back up there right now, they never will." He reached out and lifted her chin with one finger, and his blue eyes met hers.

Her breathe caught in her throat a little.

"I hate you."

"No you don't," he cajoled a smile out of her. "You just hate that I'm right."

With a sigh, she let him wipe the rest of her tears away.

"Good girl." he dropped an affectionate kiss onto the end of her nose. "Now get back up there," he repeated. "Don't make me carry you."

Heart pounding, Maddie reluctantly climbed the steps of the stage once again. Of course the hecklers immediately started back in. An empty plastic cup landed at her feet.

"Well if you wanted to buy me a beer," she said, mustering up some sass. "You might want to wait a few years." She picked up the cup and tossed it back.

A titter ran through out the crowd, and her confidence bloomed. _I can do this_ , she thought. _He's right. This is where I'm supposed to be._

"Don't listen to them!" A woman in the front row yelled. "Show us what you got, girl!"

So she played. And when the first song was over, they didn't boo, to her surprise. So she played another, and another.

She looked over and Landon was still standing there watching. The smile on his face said everything. He was damn proud of her. She was pretty damn proud of herself too.

"I'd like to invite my very good friend Landon Hayes out here now to sing a song with me we wrote together," she said with a smile. "It's called "Lost with You."...

######################################

After Maddie and Landon played a few songs together, he took over and she came off the stage, watching from the side, smiling as she listened to him announce the details of his next album and the U.S. tour he'd be heading out on in the fall. The crowd went crazy at the mention of this. She'd never felt such an adrenaline rush, this entire night had been like a dream. She stood there and watched his set with a permanent smile on her face, and every once in awhile he'd look over and give her a wink as if to say _this is what it's like. Get used to it._

"You sounded great up there."

Maddie whirled around to see her dad standing there with his hands in his pockets. He looked like he was happy for her, but she could see the sadness in his eyes. She'd hurt them, all this staying away.

"I didn't even know you were watching," she swallowed hard.

"Didn't want to make you nervous or anything, you know?"

"Well...thanks for coming."

"Seems like you're doing real good and all."

"I am."

Deacon sighed. "Can we just not be weird about this and will you get over here and give me a hug at least?"

Maddie laughed, and flew into his arms, all the awkwardness gone.

"I'm real proud of you," he said quietly. "You know, we both are. Even if we don't say it in all the right ways. And your mama and your sister, they miss you so much. So don't...stay away because you feel like you have to. You've earned the right to your own life. But let us help if you need it too."

"Thanks, Dad." She hugged him again. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too. Now you and that guy onstage," Deacon made a face. "We're gonna have to have a talk about that."

"We're just friends, Dad." she smiled. "Good friends. Landon's gonna have me up onstage for two more songs before he closes. Will you stick around for awhile?"

"I wouldn't miss it."

Deacon watched Landon come down off the stage and pass Maddie going up, and they hi-fived on the stairs in between.

"Hey there," Landon took the empty space next to him so they could both watch Maddie sing. "We meet at last. The infamous freakin Deacon Claybourne. I grew up listening to my old man's legendary stories about you."

"Your dad probably left out that he belongs in half of them," Deacon said dryly. "And the other half aren't true."

Landon grinned. "I'm sure."

"Good to see you back in town. Kinda bothers Frankie when you don't come around."

"Yeah well..." Landon shifted his feet. "Guess we all got our own lives to live, huh?"

"Sure do," Deacon agreed. "But ain't nothing more important than your family."

"I agree. Saw him just this morning, in fact. Nice the way you fixed up his bar."

"Good to hear. And thanks."

He had to give the kid credit, Landon held his ground.

"That's one talented daughter you have here, Mr. Claybourne," he said quietly.

"Can't argue with you there. She's somethin' else." Deacon said, unable to hide the pride in his voice. "Wish Rayna could have been here."

"She sure is," Landon said, his eyes only on Maddie as she sang. "I mean I kinda get why you wanted to hide her from the world. Keep her safe and all."

Something about the way he said it, the way he looked at her, had Deacon reeling in the deja vu of the whole situation.

He'd been there.

And now he was on the other end. The overprotective father end. Good god, he figured Lamar Wyatt must be rolling over in his grave laughing somewhere. Karma had a way of coming back around.

"I guess it's too late for that," he sighed. "You know as well as I do putting her on that stage just introduced her to the whole world. We just worry. Lots of people will try to take advantage of a girl her age."

Landon nodded. "She's ready, though. You saw tonight she is."

"Thanks for being there for her," Deacon conceded. "Guess your sister didn't turn out to be such a good role model after all."

Landon hesitated. "Nothing happened, you know. On that road trip or any other time. If that's what you're worried about."

"Because you wouldn't let it," Deacon confirmed. He believed him somehow.

"Because I'd never break her heart that way," he said quietly.

Deacon studied his face. _Well damn_ , he thought. _I've seen that look before._ He'd worn that look on his own face more times than he cared to remember. "I appreciate that. She needs someone to look out for her." Then he held out his hand. "Makes me feel a little better that it's you."

Landon shook it, feeling the slightest bit guilty.

Deacon disappeared back into the crowd and Landon turned his eyes back to the stage, his conscience mocking him as he watched Maddie sing her heart out. _That doesn't mean you haven't thought about it._

There was a million reasons him and Maddie would never happen.

But that didn't mean he couldn't do everything in his power to make sure she kept that smile on her face she was wearing right now.

He looked down at the phone in his hand and scrolled for his manager's contact info. Sam was around here somewhere, probably working the record execs in the crowd.

 _I want Maddie Claybourne opening on the tour,_ he typed. _Make it happen._

A few minutes later, he smiled, satisfied at the response.

 _You got it boss. Done._


End file.
